Nathan Hale

Reverend Hale, and apparent expert on witchcraft who insists on doing everything by the book, demonstrates his social responsibility by solely doing his job correctly. Even though in today’s society it is clear that witchcraft does not exist, it is apparent that in this play, witchcraft is studied to the extremes. This being said, Hales social responsibility was simply to determine whether or not each accused person was a witch or not. Hale determines and eventually realizes that his own good intentions and commitment to god governed his actions of keeping certain people alive despite the “by the book” evidence which had been

All of a sudden there was a witch outbreak in Salem Massachusetts. The following day the girls were found in bed inert. The doctor attempted to figure out the sickness the girls could have. However, he could not give the sickness any name. Then Reverend Hale was called in to help the town cure its unnatural problem. Throughout the play Reverend Hale contributed to both sides of the arguments. At the beginning he believed the court was doing God’s job. Towards the end his character changes and is less in favor of the court and more in favor for the people being wrongly accused. Reverend Hale’s is seen to be independent, confident and outspoken. These traits end up changing towards the end of the play. Reverend Hale is a dynamic character

Hale requires everyone who is accused of being a witch to go to court and agree that they are witches in order to prevent being hanged. If they admit that they aren’t a witch they would be hanged immediately. Hale seems to be very involved with the accusations, questioning those that are accused everything they know about god and the church (asking Hale to recite the 10 commandments, questioning the victims’ attendance in church, baptism, and things he sees as strange). When Hale goes to John Proctor’s house we witness the interrogation process: “I thought, sir, to put some questions as to the Christian character of this house, if you’ll permit me…I note that you are rarely in the church on Sabbath day…how comes it that only two [boys] are baptized” (2.621-671)? Later on in the play, when Proctor is testifying in court, they mystery starts to unravel inside of Hale’s head. At the end of Proctor’s trial, he yells that he no longer supports what is going on after Judge Danforth is unwilling to listen to Proctor’s testimony that the whole thing is pretense: “I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court” (3.1499-1500)! He is ashamed that everything he has been trying to find was false and made up by Abigail. We see that in the jail scene he is begging Goody Proctor to have her husband confess in order to save his life: “Will you plead for his confession or will you not” (4.486-487)? This dynamic character change truly captures how Hale has changed since the

Over the course of the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Reverend Hale has changed dramatically from the start of the play to the end. At first, Hale is convinced that he is an expert of witchcraft and the truth is found in his books. He also comes into Salem putting his faith into the court. As the play goes on, Hale questions his belief because he realizes that many people are being convicted without definite evidence. In the end of the play, Hale has no faith in the court. He realizes many people innocent people have died through the courts rulings and therefore he can not be a part of it. Hale’s character has changed significantly throughout the

In 1726 Edwards moved to Northampton to help his grandfather as assistant pastor, “he was probably more inclined to agree with the stricter views of his father rather than with his grandfather’s more open policy regarding communicant membership, but for the time being, an agreement to disagree seems to have prevailed” . When Solomon Stoddard died in February 1729, Edwards assumed full responsibility of the congregation. With the inheritance of the congregation came considerable expectations, considering Northampton regarded Solomon as a sort of deity. “New England’s occasional awakenings and other efforts to revive piety were part of an international ‘pietist’ movement” .

From the beginning of the play, it was quite clear that Reverend Hale’s character was deeply rooted in his faith and understanding. Hale firmly believes that everything in life can be explained by books. This becomes evident when he is prompted about the weight of his books. He responds, “They are weighted with authority” (Miller, Act I). Hale believes that the truth

By using the fact that many believed her to be familiar with the Devil, she turned changed, ruined, and ended lives. On the other hand, Reverend John Hale used his ethos as a man of God to help the people of Salem, to impact their lives for the better. It can be noted that these two characters are the most opposite two in the entirety of the book. Hale represents the glowing hope of quelling the hysteria in Salem, while Abigail is at the root of it; Hale was a holy man serviced to God, Abigail was using Christianity as a catalyst for her crazed vengeance schemes. Some many even argue that Hale wanted the best for the citizens, versus Abigail wanting the best for only herself, and that made them more of opposites. However, that is simply not true. One of the only traits that these two characters share is not in their actions or words, but in their underlying desires. Both of these opposites used ethos in an attempt to bring happiness to others. John Hale’s goal was to bring peace to Salem and dispel rumors of witchcraft, therefore returning the village to a place of love and happiness. Abigail Williams simply wanted to be with John Proctor, to be in love with him and have him be in love with her; she wanted them to just be happy together. Therefore, it is made slightly difficult to understand what makes things opposite in the world. These two desired only happiness, but another pair of very different people could both be compelled by love, or family, or faith. To say that two people are somewhat opposites can be proven, but there is and will never be a pair of completely opposite people in the world, because at the core, humans are simple creatures. They all crave simple things, like love and happiness; it is a part of human nature. There will never be a pair of completely different humans, because in the

Hale goes up to Danforth as he putting an unfair case on trial: “ I cannot say he is an honest man; I know him little. But in all justice, sir, a claim so weighty cannot be argued by a farmer. In God’s name, sir, stop here; send him home and let him come again with a lawyer-”(92). Hale is concerned for the people of community; he believes that like Giles many other people in the community are not getting fair trials. He stands up for the people in the jail that are not able to these liberties to get to represent themselves civilly. Hale also tries to convince the accused to confess so they are not sentenced to death. When he realizes that his evidence of the accusations are altered by Abigail's

So overall, that is why I believe that John Proctor was more of a tragic hero than Reverend Hale. Despite a couple of negative attributes, he mostly meant good in his doings and was very unselfish and

Furthermore, Reverend Hale was pushed to change also. Hale came into Salem a stranger, but knew how to fix the problem the town endured. He never questioned that God had a plan and always thought that something was either good or bad, with no gray area in between. This thinking is challenged when Elizabeth, a pure person, is accused and then later when John confesses. He knows that these people are honest and leaves the court for a period of time. In the end, Hale is a desperate man, and even though knowing there is no witchcraft present, he urges John to admit that he is not the one that should be punished. He has to question all the rules he has lived by his whole life and pursue something he knows is incorrect. In essence, Reverend Hale is pushed to his limits and is turned into a man that will be permanently in suspicion of any standards he ever thought were true.

John Hale grasps ahold of his hat, running his fingers between the fine strands of hair atop his head. A long breathe escapes Hale’s chest as he hastens his pace, heading towards the only place he was allowed to call home on his visit to Salem.

One of authority figure in The Crucible, was Reverend Hale. Hale went to Salem in response in need of a “spiritual doctor” to evaluate the town. The reason he was summoned was to diagnose if there was witchcraft was present, then come up with a cure by removing the “infected people”, and the people of Salem will not be satisfied until he does. In result to all the commotion of unnatural events taking in place in Salem such as: Tituba’s ability to conjure spirits from beyond the grave, dancing in the woods, the death of the seven children who belonged to Thomas and Ann Putman, Betty’s illness, the strange book that were in possession of Martha Corey, and so on. Hale starts to become

In December 1776, Lee left his army to spend the evening in White’s Tavern in Basking Ridge, New Jersey (US History, War for Independence). Things may have gone good to Lee at first, having nice food and being around women, but all that changed when Lee stayed the night at the tavern and woke up the next morning. When morning came, Lee was surprised by the arrival of British troops under Benastre Tarleton, a former comrade who had sworn an oath in a London club to track down and decapitate Lee. Following a brief skirmish during which escape routes were cut off, a humiliated Lee was taken prisoner and removed to New York City (US History, War for Independence). Because of Lee’s lust and desire to get away from battle, lent him to be captured by the very same people who considered him a traitor. This news eventually reached Washington’s ears; he

Hale’s character arc is defined by the contrasting path he takes from the other authority figures in Salem, as he is originally a man of closeminded

In Act 1, Hale’s devotion to carrying out God’s law reveals his sense of obligation in eradicating the diabolic disturbances in Salem, despite the negative impact it may have on its citizens. Prior to entering the town, the Reverend’s motives lie in defeating the Devil, believing that this valiance will bring preservation to the Puritans. Although “his goal is light,” he believes the people of Salem have been “called upon to face what may be a bloody fight with the Fiend himself” (36). Despite wanting to face off with the devil, Hale stands strong in his belief that this will restore peace and prove to be beneficial. Consequences aside, his heavy